


Animal Therapy

by sesera



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Autumn, Fluff, M/M, leaf pile cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 20:31:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15614409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sesera/pseuds/sesera
Summary: [rei] [autumn]Koga is an extremely loyal first year puppy, and Rei has just gotten back from his most recent assignment abroad.---A smile curving onto his lips as his exhaustion drained away, Rei reached up to stroke Koga’s hair—petting him, really. “Good boy. You waited for me so faithfully, didn’t you? I’m glad I had a good dog like you to come home to.”Now Koga’s cheeks were really red and he was steadfastly avoiding meeting Rei’s gaze, which only made Rei smile wider. His veins felt full of light.





	Animal Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [365 Days Ensemble Stars Undead zine](https://undeadzine.tumblr.com/)! I was given the character Rei and the season of autumn.

Autumn leaves crunched under Rei Sakuma’s feet as he made his way toward Yumenosaki Academy carrying a leather duffel bag. It had been a long train ride from the airport, and an even longer flight from god knows what country—he was honestly losing track at this point. Countless times now he’d been sent in to put the out the fire Eichi Tenshouin had set ablaze at one of Yumenosaki’s sister schools, knowing it was no more than a tactic to get him away from the school but also unable to turn his back on those who needed help. He’d been gone a lot over the spring and summer cleaning up these deliberate messes, and it had taken its toll. Exhaustion weighed heavy on his body and he missed his brother, who was growing more and more resentful of Rei’s extended absences. Then there were also his fellow Eccentrics left at the mercy of Eichi—his heart twinged with guilt and regret just at the thought.

But as much as his heart went out to them, who’s to say Rei could have saved them even if he had been here? So much had changed now. The thought of swaying an entire crowd like he had at the Deadmanz concert seemed like a distant, faraway memory—almost a dream by now.

Now it was the day of fine’s Dream Festival competition against Wataru Hibiki, the last remaining Eccentric, and Rei was bone tired. Everything in him was gone, sapped by hours of riding in planes and walking hallways of foreign schools. What he wanted now was just to curl up in a dark, cool place. Maybe when he woke up, the fires burning all over the school would at least be out and his friends wouldn’t be in pain. He pulled the black fur collar of his coat up against the biting fall wind, kicking at the yellow ginkgo leaves piled up underfoot.

As he passed through the school gates, he realized he was still wearing his street clothes and not his school uniform. If Keito caught him on school property out of his uniform... he really didn’t want to face a lecture, especially not right now in his exhausted state. Quickly he made his way across the grounds, deciding on the garden space as a good hiding place and convenient location to pass out until the concert, preferably under a nice shady bush. There was a buzzing crowd over by the auditorium, with everyone distracted buying and trading fine and Wataru Hibiki merchandise, and he wanted to be far away from that.

What he wasn’t expecting was for a silver blur to pop out and rush toward him immediately upon arrival. All too soon, there was a very angry dog in his face.

“HEY! Where the hell have you been?! And where the hell is your uniform?”

“Oh, _wanko_ ,” Rei said, feeling a smile tug at his lips. He’d almost forgotten this kid and how entertaining he was. Without thinking he reached out to ruffle his junior’s hair, which just made Koga Oogami turn red and look away from him. _Interesting._ Rei had fully expected to have his hand slapped away considering the mood the boy seemed to be in.

“Were you waiting for me? Yikes, you really are my stalker,” Rei teased him, unable to resist falling back into their old pattern.

“Shut up! Do you know how long you’ve been gone this time? If you think I’m just going to accept that there’s been no one around to teach me guitar for weeks now—hey, are you listening? Sakuma-senpai!”

It was just too much yapping. Rei was too tired for this, and too starved for touch, and this boy liked him, right? Without really thinking about it, he pulled the first year into his arms and held him tight.

“O-Oi! What the—what are you doing? Sakuma-sempai!”

Koga struggled, naturally, but that just meant they fell over together into a pile of dry leaves. Rei still didn’t let go of him, though—the warm body in his arms was soothing, and he didn’t want to release him just yet. Despite the autumn chill, Koga felt hot, as if he’d been lying in the sun for hours. Instinctively, Rei held that heat closer to him.

A smile curving onto his lips as his exhaustion drained away, he reached up to stroke Koga’s hair—petting him, really. “Good boy. You waited for me so faithfully, didn’t you? I’m glad I had a good dog like you to come home to.”

Now Koga’s cheeks were really red and he was steadfastly avoiding meeting Rei’s gaze, which only made Rei smile wider. His veins felt full of light.

_What is this? Animal therapy?_

 “I-I’m not a dog,” was all Koga could finally say, but he didn’t resist the petting. In fact, he was tilting his face needily into Rei’s hand.

Slightly shocked by this reaction and now even more sharply aware of the damage his prolonged absence had caused, all Rei could do was continue running his fingers through Koga’s hair. Maybe this small thing could make up for some of the sins stacking up against him. The band holding his short little ponytail together fell out, and Rei tugged on the ponytail, lightly.

“Still have this, huh? Because you’re so obsessed with me?”

Koga’s adorable cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red. “No! It just looks cool, that’s all!”

Rei laughed, feeling even more of his exhaustion just melt away. Teasing this kid never got old, not when his reactions were this good.

Then he noticed that Koga had turned to look at him, something insistent burning in his amber eyes.

“What is it, _wanko_?”

“I—Isn’t this gross for you? You know... touching another guy’s hair like this,” he muttered, looking away again.

Rei smiled. “First of all, _wanko_ , that sort of thing doesn’t matter to me at all. And second, who said I thought of you as a guy? _Wanko,_ ” he said playfully, drawing out each syllable to make it clear he was calling Koga a dog.

This time Koga really did push Rei’s hand away irritably. “How many times have I told you, I’m a lone wolf!”

“Yes, yes,” Rei said. “You’re very fierce.”

Then Koga darted his eyes back to him and said. “T-Then, if _that sort of thing doesn’t matter to you_... I-I’ll do it to you.”

Rei’s eyes widened, but before he could even register those words, Koga had pushed a hand into his hair and was carding it through the black strands. A leaf had gotten caught in them, and he pulled it out carefully. His hand was shaking. Rei could only stare at Koga, caught completely off guard, and this time Koga looked back with odd determination in his eyes.

“It’s not gross, right?” he said, and Rei’s heart could almost burst with how vulnerable he sounded.

“No, _wanko_. It’s not gross at all,” he answered, closing his eyes and letting Koga stroke his hair. This, too, was incredibly and unexpectedly relaxing, and he pulled the other boy closer to him.

As the last knots of tension left him and the setting sun restored some of his energy, Rei’s thoughts began to wander. Perhaps it was time to form a unit of his own. Or, to be more accurate, revive a long-dormant unit that was perhaps not dead yet. He still owed Adonis Otogari’s father a debt, and there was something lonely in the eyes of that Kaoru Hakaze who’d attended the Deadmanz show. And of course, there was this boy, Koga, whose desperation for a place to belong oozed from everything he did, despite the obvious attempts to cover it with a tough attitude.

“ _Wanko_ , what would you think about forming a unit?” he said, and this time it was Rei who couldn’t seem to look the other boy in the eye. But when he finally dared to look back, Koga’s amber eyes were alight with hope and excitement.

“Really?!” Koga said, the enthusiasm so bright and clear in his voice that it was almost blinding.

For a second, Rei forgot about the persona he was always carefully cultivating and the aura of cool he strove to project especially around this boy, who admired him so much it was almost overwhelming, and let out a true, genuine laugh. When was the last time he’d laughed like this?

Yes, it would definitely be good to keep this boy around him for a while longer.

All too soon, it would be time to witness the downfall of the final Eccentric and the begin of Eichi’s regime. He knew by now it was too late to stop it from happening. But for now, he had this boy in his arms and the dream of creating a home. If he couldn’t save every person in the world, and even if it would be for just one more year, he could at least give these lost souls a place to belong.

 


End file.
